Project Oscar
Project Oscar is Boston’s 24-hour community food waste program.
Project Oscar compost bins give communities a place to drop off residential food scraps to be made into compost. There are currently 14 locations throughout Boston. You can find more information below about where the compost bins are located and what you can put into the bins.
The City of Boston partners with Black Earth Composting for the food waste collection of these Project Oscar bins. Black Earth collects the food scraps and brings them to their composting sites in Manchester, Groton, and Framingham, MA. The food waste is converted into a nutrient rich compost, which is then sold in bags to garden centers around New England, as well as in bulk to farmers and gardeners! Black Earth's mission is to keep food scraps in the food chain.
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Have questions? Contact:
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOCKED BINS
Starting in September 2023, three of the Project Oscar bins will be locked (East Boston, South End, and Dorchester- Hero Hope Garden).
The lock combo is: 2-1-4
Please make sure to close the lid and lock the bin after you finish dropping off your food scraps. This helps prevent contamination and ensures that your food scraps are able to be composted. Thank you!
List of locations
Brighton, at Faneuil Gardens Apartments in the west parking lot across from McKinney Playground
Brighton, at Boston Green Academy, 20 Warren Street, Brighton
Charlestown, on Austin Street, in the parking lot of the 99 Restaurant
City Hall Plaza, at 1 City Hall Square; near the Bill Russell statue
Dorchester, at the Codman Square library, 690 Washington Street
Dorchester, at the Hero Hope Garden, 424 Geneva Ave
East Boston, at Memorial Stadium Park, adjacent to the playground on Thompson Drive - NEW LOCATION AS OF 9/15/2023
Hyde Park, at 1234 Hyde Park Ave
Jamaica Plain, in the parking lot of the Curtis Hall Community Center at 20 South Street
Mission Hill, at the end of driveway at Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street
North End, in the Nazzaro Center parking lot on North Bennet Street
Roslindale, at the Municipal lot on Taft Hill Terrace - As of 4/22/2024 this bin has been removed.
Roxbury, at the Egleston Square Library on Columbus Ave
South Boston, at 450 West Broadway Street
South End, at the South End Branch Library, 685 Tremont Street
What you can compost with Project Oscar
What you can compost- Fruit and vegetable scraps, peelings, pits, and seeds
- Eggshells and nutshells
- Rice, pasta, cereal
- Bread, pastries, cookies
- Coffee grounds and coffee filters
- Teabags
- Cut or dry flowers
- Napkins, paper towels, paper plates, paper bags
- Cardboard take-out containers (must have one of the following compost certifications: BPI, TUV, OK Compost and CMA)
- Wine corks
- Wooden coffee stirrers
- Compostable bags (must have one of the following compost certifications: BPI, TUV, OK Compost and CMA)
- Pizza Boxes
- Meat, fish, bones
- Dairy products
- Cheese
- Fats, grease, oils
- Pet waste
- Compostable diapers
- Yard waste (Find your leaf and yard waste collection schedule)
- Cigarette butts
- Dryer lint, dryer sheets
- Styrofoam
- Plastic bags
- Charcoal
Project Oscar Locks
Project Oscar bins can be used to compost personal food scraps by anyone who lives in Boston. Starting in September 2023, the City of Boston will be piloting new locked bins at three sites: Dorchester (Hero Hope Garden), East Boston, and South End.
Lock Combination: 2-1-4
The combination is the same for all three of these locations. Please make sure to lock the bin after disposing of food scraps. This helps reduce excess contamination and ensures that the food scraps are able to be composted!
Store food scraps in a closed lid container. It’s convenient to have your container close to where you produce food waste. Keep your container on your kitchen countertop, by your trash can, or in your freezer. You will bring your food scrap container to your local Boston community food waste drop-off, so make sure it is easy to carry.
There is a full list of what is accepted at each community food waste drop-off program website. Check the Project Oscar page or the farmers markets food waste drop-off website for details. Please be sure to review the lists of what is accepted before you start dropping off your food waste. It is important to only drop-off accepted items so our food waste can be used to make compost.
If you would like, you can line your food scrap container with BPI-Certified compostable bags. These are available online and in most hardware and grocery stores.
When you return home from dropping off your food scraps, wash your bin in the sink. Put a little bit of dish soap inside, and rinse a few times with warm water. Throw a bit of baking soda in the bottom of your bin to freshen it up!
Thank you for participating in our programs, and for doing your part to make Boston a zero waste city!
Who's Involved:
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Have questions? Contact:
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOCKED BINS
Starting in September 2023, three of the Project Oscar bins will be locked (East Boston, South End, and Dorchester- Hero Hope Garden).
The lock combo is: 2-1-4
Please make sure to close the lid and lock the bin after you finish dropping off your food scraps. This helps prevent contamination and ensures that your food scraps are able to be composted. Thank you!
